Living Well With BV

Revised and expanded edition, updated October 2026.

Not sure it's BV? Thin, grey-white discharge with a fishy odor that gets stronger after sex, and little or no itching, points to BV. Thick white clumpy discharge with intense itching points to a yeast infection, which this book does not treat. Chapter 4 has the full comparison, including trichomoniasis.

Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal condition in the world, and the least discussed. Nearly one in three women has it at any given time. More than half will see it come back within a year of treatment. Yet most women leave the exam room with a prescription and no explanation of why it keeps returning or what else can be done.

Living Well With BV is the explanation. Written for adult women who have been diagnosed, suspect they have it, or are exhausted by recurrence, it covers what BV actually is, how it is diagnosed, how it differs from yeast and trichomoniasis, why it recurs, and every option worth discussing with a clinician.

Every treatment is labeled by the strength of its evidence: established in current guidelines, supported by trials, preliminary, or unproven. No miracle cures. No vague wellness advice dressed up as treatment. The studies behind every claim are listed at the back.

Inside:
• A Start Here chapter that answers the ten most urgent questions on the first page
• Why BV comes back, and a step-by-step playbook for recurrent BV
• The landmark 2025 trial showing that treating a male partner roughly halves recurrence, with its limits explained
• Suppressive therapy, boric acid, probiotics, and vaginal vitamin C, rated honestly
• LACTIN-V and the live biotherapeutics in development